Pharmacy & Health

1. Onko teillä päänsärkylääkettä?

   ON-ko TEIL-lä PÄÄN-sär-ky-lää-ket-tä?

   Do you have headache medicine?

   Usage

   Ask for headache medicine at a Finnish pharmacy (apteekki)

   Grammar Note

   Finnish is Uralic. "Pää" (head) + "särky" (pain) = "päänsärky" (headache)

2. Tarvitsen mahalääkettä

   TAR-vit-sen MA-ha-lää-ket-tä

   I need stomach medicine

   Usage

   Use when you need stomach medicine

   Grammar Note

   "Tarvitsen" is the first-person singular of "tarvita" (to need)

3. Tarvitsen ripulilääkettä

   TAR-vit-sen RI-pu-li-lää-ket-tä

   I need anti-diarrhea medicine

   Usage

   Ask for anti-diarrhea medicine

   Grammar Note

   "Ripuli" is a native Finnish word for diarrhea

4. Minulla on kuume

   MI-nul-la on KUU-me

   I have a fever

   Usage

   Tell the pharmacist you have a fever

   Grammar Note

   "Minulla on" = "I have" (lit. "on me there is") — Finnish uses adessive case for possession

5. Minulla on allergia

   MI-nul-la on AL-ler-gi-a

   I have an allergy

   Usage

   Inform the pharmacist about your allergy

   Grammar Note

   "Olen allerginen...lle" = "I am allergic to..." in Finnish

6. Tarvitsen laastarin

   TAR-vit-sen LAAS-ta-rin

   I need bandages/plasters

   Usage

   Ask for bandages or plasters at a pharmacy

   Grammar Note

   "Laastari" is borrowed from Swedish "plåster". Sweden-Finns are a linguistic minority

7. Tarvitsen hyönteiskarkotetta

   TAR-vit-sen HYÖN-teis-kar-ko-tet-ta

   I need insect repellent

   Usage

   Ask for insect repellent at a pharmacy

   Grammar Note

   "Hyönteinen" (insect) + "karkote" (repellent). Finland has many mosquitoes (hyttynen) in summer

8. Tarvitsen aurinkovoidetta

   TAR-vit-sen AU-rin-ko-voi-det-ta

   I need sunscreen

   Usage

   Ask for sunscreen at a pharmacy

   Grammar Note

   "Aurinko" (sun) + "voide" (cream). Finland's midnight sun requires UV protection

9. Kuinka otan tämän lääkkeen?

   KUIN-ka O-tan TÄ-män LÄÄK-keen?

   How do I take this medicine?

   Usage

   Ask the pharmacist how to take the medicine

   Grammar Note

   "Kuinka" means "how" in Finnish

10. Tarvitsenko reseptiä?

    TAR-vit-sen-ko RE-sep-ti-ä?

    Do I need a prescription?

    Usage

    Check if a prescription is needed

    Grammar Note

    "Ilman reseptiä" (OTC) vs "reseptillä" (prescription). "-ko" suffix makes questions

11. kuumemittari

    Thermometer

    Usage

    Point to this when buying a thermometer at a pharmacy

    Grammar Note

    Compound of kuume (fever) and mittari (gauge); a room thermometer is a different word, "lämpömittari"

12. haavaside

    Bandage

    Usage

    Ask for a bandage or wound dressing with this word

    Grammar Note

    "Side" alone can also mean a bond or tie, so the compound with haava (wound) is clearer. An elastic bandage is "joustoside" and a plaster is "laastari"

13. desinfiointiaine

    Disinfectant

    Usage

    Ask for wound disinfectant; hand sanitiser is "käsidesi"

14. kasvomaski

    Face mask

    Usage

    Ask for a disposable face mask at a pharmacy

    Grammar Note

    "Kasvomaski" can also mean a cosmetic face pack, so show it in a pharmacy context; an FFP2-grade respirator is "hengityssuojain"

15. terveysside

    Sanitary pad

    Usage

    Ask for sanitary pads; sold in supermarkets as well as pharmacies

16. tamponi

    Tampon

    Usage

    Ask for tampons; a menstrual cup is "kuukuppi"

17. kondomi

    Condom

    Usage

    Point to this at a pharmacy, supermarket, or kiosk

18. silmätipat

    Eye drops

    Usage

    Ask for eye drops; lubricating drops are "kosteuttavat silmätipat"

    Grammar Note

    Always used in the plural — silmä (eye) plus tipat (drops)

19. kipugeeli

    Pain-relief gel

    Usage

    Ask for a rub-on gel for muscle or joint pain

    Grammar Note

    Finland has no direct equivalent of a Japanese medicated compress; the closest products are the rub-on "kipugeeli"/"kipuvoide" and the heat patch "lämpölaastari"

20. kuumelääke

    Fever medicine

    Usage

    Ask for something to bring a fever down; the common OTC options are paracetamol (Panadol) and ibuprofen (Burana)

21. Lääkettä ummetukseen, kiitos

    LÄÄ-ket-tä UM-me-tuk-seen, KII-tos

    A laxative, please

    Usage

    Ask for something for constipation at a pharmacy

    Grammar Note

    "Lääkettä" is the partitive of "lääke" (medicine), the form for asking for "some" of something. "Ummetukseen" is "ummetus" in the illative (-seen), "for / against constipation". "Kiitos" serves as both "thank you" and "please".

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